10 Most Famous Basketball Players Of All Time

The list of the 10 most famous basketball players of all time represents a plethora of hall of famers. Some players were known for offense, some for defense and some were just tremendous all around. The list represents modern players as well as those from days gone by.

Michael Jordan. Jordan is widely considered to be the best player in league history. He is without a doubt the famous basketball player of all time, one of the dominant sports figures in the country during the 1990s. Jordan won six championships, multiple scoring titles, five league MVP’s and six Finals MVP’s. He is the standard by which future players are unfairly measured.

Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain was like a man among boys, scoring 100 points in one game, grabbing 55 rebounds in another and averaging over 50 points for an entire season, all numbers that just boggle the mind. Chamberlain, one of the most famous basketball players of all time, was completely dominating.

Magic Johnson. Magic was a great representative for the league as it soared to popularity in the 1980’s, and his role as point guard on the dominant L.A. Lakers ensured he would be one of the most famous basketball players of all time. His teams were full of glitz and glamour…and championship caliber players.

Larry Bird. Bird was Johnson’s opposite, everything he wasn’t. A small-time boy and on a blue-collar team, Bird possessed a fantastic all-around game and his Celtics’ match ups with the Lakers in the 80s are legendary.

Oscar Robertson. The "Big O" is the only player to have a triple-double over the course of an entire season (averaging double digits in scoring, rebounds and assists) and won an NBA championship and league MVP, on his way to becoming one of the most famous basketball players of all time.

Bill Russell. Russell and Chamberlain often squared off, with Russell’s prodigious defensive abilities and shot-blocking skills trying to knock Wilt off his game. Russell never put of the offensive numbers, but Russell anchored a team that simply didn’t lose: his teams won eleven championships as he went on to become one of the most famous basketball players of all time.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar started his career as Lew Alcindor, but whatever name you called him, it didn’t stop this seven-foot scoring machine. He was named to a ridiculous nineteen NBA all-star teams and won six league MVP awards while becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq hit the league with a splash, winning the rookie of the year award and overpowering players with his immense size. This fifteen time all star and four-time champion has been one of the most dynamic players in the league in the early part of the 21st century.

Karl Malone. Known as the Mailman because he always delivered, Malone was selected to the All NBA first time a record eleven times. While he could never bring home a championship, Malone led his teams to consistent finishes year in and year out.

Jerry West. West is so famous, his silhouette is used for the man in the NBA logo. West was picked for fourteen all-star games, was named to the all-defensive teams on three occasions and averages 46 points in one playoff series, a record.